International Gymnix Challenge Session II Live Blog

Welcome to the live blog for the second session of the Challenge competition at the 2018 International Gymnix! We’re live in Montreal once again to bring you updates, photos, and more from the meet.

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11:23 am. As expected, no one snuck into the top group for all-around finishes. For this session, Montana Fairbairn led with a 50.935, followed by Madeline Straker with 49.417 and then Djenna Laroui with 48.818.

11:20 am. B. Doddoli UB- Gienger, bail, clear hip to toe on to toe shoot, blind change to front giant half, giant full, hit her feet on the low bar a giant before her double tuck dismount, just a step.

Straker FX- Big double layout, a couple of small steps back OOB. High double tuck almost stuck. Double turn in front attitude. Switch to switch side. Front lay to front full, sat it. UGH. Bummer at the end of a solid set.

11:16 am. Guerra UB- Shaposh to bail (some leg sep), leans backwards and for a second I think it’s on purpose and that she’s gonna Weiler kip out of it or something but she falls. Falls again after getting back on. Gets on again, clear hip hecht to high, giant full, to Gienger, nice, double pike with a step.

Johnston FX- Hit the opening pass. 1.5 to front full after that. Double full a little underrotated but no big problems.

Katjavari BB- I missed the beginning, has a nice jump into a Korbut. Hit the dismount.

11:13 am. Passeron VT- Tsuk back pike, little hop.

Kaufmann FX- Double pike with a hop to the side, hit the second pass as well. 1.5 to front lay with a scootch on the landing.

D. Doddoli UB- I may have missed the beginning, clear hip to toe on to toe shoot, double pike with a little hop and a smile.

11:09 am. Villalba FX- “Hey na na na” music which I always think is “Dark Eyes.” Big double tuck to start. Memmel turn. Rudi is good. Great work on her leaps, one of the only to actually reach 180, it’s been a low split kinda weekend. Clean stuck double full. Switch ring is good, smile on her ending pose. Great work!!

11:05 am. Eugene VT- Tsuk full I think, maybe tucked?

Walker FX- Hit double back to start. Her music is insane, I love it. Double pike, and her music ended right when she landed it. It was like “you’re done.” She’s still going to the audience clapping. I love these moments. Front full to stag, good work with the annoying music issue, she looks hella depressed but props to her for keeping it going.

Holmstrom BB- Switch to split half to split jump, a little shy on some. Fell on acro after that.

Lazo UB- Came off on something early, when she finishes her routine she’s in tears and has like 300 people coming up to her and telling her good job.

10:54 am. Johnston BB- Side aerial is lovely, straddle jump, bhs loso, again where it looks like she has it but she’s just too far over to one side and she falls. Everyone’s falling to the same side so I’ll blame the beam being crooked. Hit side somi and side split half, 1.5 dismount, buckled knees and a slight hop.

Guerra VT- FTY, just hops her feet together. Second is a tsuk back pike.

10:52 am. Grenke UB- Toe on to lovely Pak, stalder to shoot to high, giant full, blind change, some ankle sep and hesitation, and she can’t get the handstand up out of it, hops off. 😦 Gets back on and muscles the handstand this time, into a front layout dismount.

Passeron FX- Hit the first pass, a double pike I think. Hard to see…big front lay front full for her second pass, takes a step, double full to finish. Good work.

Kaufmann BB- Bhs loso with a bobble then a fall. I think she came off a second time but I missed the majority of this routine. Hit her dismount.

10:47 am. Holmstrom UB- Straddle back to toe on, arches over and falls. 😦 Got back on to hit a double tuck dismount, high and clean with a step.

Villalba BB- Full turn, little adjustment, bhs bhs loso with a tiny bobble, wobble on the side somi but she pulls it back, side aerial, hit a leap or jump after that, switch leap is nice, double full dismount with a tiny hop. Good work!

Eugene FX- Double tuck with a step. Double full is a little messy, hit the last pass.

Lazo VT- Tsuk…literally just a tsuk, no salto. That’s…surprising? May have been a second vault?

10:42 am. Walker BB- Switch to split half, nice! Side aerial, bhs loso, looks like she has it but her balance is weighted too far back and she falls. Side aerial, off again on a switch half. Double full with a little bounce.

10:40 am. Mielle FX- Another super dramatic opening. LOVE. Double tuck with a step back to start. Full Y turn and and split jump full, front lay front full into the corner, both very clean. Front layout front pike to finish. Great work, glad she came back from her bummer bars and beam!

10:37 am. Scharf BB- Bhs loso is too far to the side and she pops right off. 😦 Switch half, also a bit off in her rotation and she falls again. Side somi with a wobble that pulls her backwards and…another fall. 😦 😦 😦 Side split half to split jump, good connection. Double pike with a step.

10:36 am. Garcia FX- Her opening choreo is YAS. I think she’s on a safari or she’s being hunted or something, you can see a story happening and it’s GREAT. Double back to start with a bounce forward. Hit the pass after that which I couldn’t see. Big switch half into the corner before her last pass, a clean double full with a bounce. Lovely!

Wilson UB- Toe on to bail to toe shoot, giant full, blind change to front giant, gets stuck just shy of pulling up to handstand and has to hop off. Back on for a double tuck dismount.

10:25 am. D. Doddoli FX- Good double pike at the start, switch to tour jeté half, stuck double tuck, knees just a little buckled, front full with a little step, 1.5 to finish, lots of nice control in there!

10:24 am. Kaufmann UB- Blind change to straddle Jaeger, Pak, looked like she maybe tapped her feet on the mat but if she did, she had a good cover up, clear hip to toe on to toe shoot, she’s SUPER tall, layout dismount stuck!

10:20 am. Villalba UB- Big piked Gienger but nowhere near the bar and she falls. Pak with legs apart, toe shoot, stalder, high clean double tuck. She’s VERY clean in her basics.

Eugene BB- Bhs loso with a step back out of it. Hit the rest that I could see, switch to switch side, front aerial, side split half, double tuck with a couple of steps back.

Lazo FX- Great double pike to start. Hit the seocnd pass but I couldn’t see what. 2.5 with a big step forward. Front full to finish.

Mielle BB- Hit some kind of front mount, I missed what. Came off on an acro skill, front full dismount with a step.

Leonard FX- Lovely double spin, front through to double pike, good, and a nice clean 2.5 with a great landing.

10:13 am. Garcia BB- Bhs back pike, little wobble, god fight, front aerial, split jump to sissone, the first jump is a little shy of 180. Switch leap to split leap to back handspring is lovely. Side aerial, side split half, double full with a baby hop. LOVE THESE WEE FRENCH BABIES.

Fairbairn FX- 2.5 to front layout, a little off. 1.5 through to double tuck with a hop. Double pike with a step.

10:08 am. Katjavari VT- FTY, comes off the table so low and ends up putting her knee down.

Straker UB- Clear hip to blind change (leg sep) to straddle Jaeger, bail with some ankle sep, toe full a little late and crooked, toe shoot, she is a slow and steady bar worker which I think helps her get through some of the little fights throughout. Hit toe front half dismount a little awkwardly.

Laroui BB- Bhs back tuck with a little wobble but holds on. Straddle jump to tuck jump half. Lovely side somi. Good double full dismount with a hop. I like her!

B. Doddoli FX- Double pike, double tuck, the first is a bit shy but the tuck was great. 2.5 with a step, and I couldn’t see her last pass but it was hit.

Scharf UB- Toe full, shaposh to Pak, some leg sep, van Leeuwen, toe half to piked Jaeger, huge but unfortunately not near the bar and she falls. 😦 Was looking good until that point. Suuuuuper high full-in to finish, step forward.

Holmstrom VT- Yurchenko layout, close to the table.

10:06 am. Grenke VT- Nice handspring front pike. Might have been her second vault? I didn’t see her first if so.

Johnston UB- Big straddle Jaeger, some ankle sep on the bail and then she goes for a toe full but bends her knees in the middle and has to come off.

Passeron BB- Hit wolf turn at the beginning, bhs loso, and split leap. Back tuck, so far so good, front aerial with a wobble that takes a few seconds for her to fight through. Solid double full dismount.

Guerra FX- Double pike with a hop. Hop on her double tuck. Good double full with a step. Hit last pass, ended with a front full.

9:58 am. Lazo BB- Bhs loso with some bent knee action but she’s pretty solid, split leap to switch leap, nice, side aerial, side somi, full Y turn, overrotates it by a quarter but pulls it back. Side split half with a leg-up wobble, good fight from this kid throughout, front aerial with an adjustment, 1.5 with a little hop, good work!

9:54 pm. Villalba VT- FTY, good, and Yurchenko layout with a hop.

Mielle UB- I missed the very beginning, but on the high bar she lost her rhythm and had to regroup and get her swing back before her bliked change to piked Jaeger, her coach also spotted her pretty heavily there, giant full, doubl layout with a big bounce forward, leg flew up behind her and she put her hands down. She unfortunately looked defeated about two seconds into that and you could see on her face at the end that she was just over it. 😦

Leonard BB- She hit her bhs loso, but fell on something after that, I missed on what. Front aerial, switch to straddle, side aerial, double full with a hop forward (and some helicopter legs).

9:51 am. Scharf VT- Big FTY, just a step on the landing.

Garcia UB- Toe on to stalder to shoot to high, nice, tidy, blind change to straddle Jaeger, double tuck with a tiny bounce. Great work.

Fairbairn BB- Triple acro series, solid. Side split half with a little bobble, doulbe tuck with a step. Good work!

Walker VT- FTY, some little form stuff in the air, and a little bobble on the landing.

It looks like neither Mackenzie Robinson (a local kid who competes for Jamaica, she was at worlds last year) nor Chantae Wilson of Bermuda are competing floor.

9:39 am. We’re back a casual 12 hours later for the second callenge session at Gymnix!

Kaufman VT- Hop back on her FTY.

Eugene UB- Toe full, goes a little crooked, hit the resnt, finished with a stuck full-in, very nice work! Feet are way off for her layout full dismount, which she does to her back and rolls off the mat. Oof.

Laroui UB- toe on to toe shoot, giant full, double tuck. These French girls are all soooo young and tiny! I think she’s a 2005 baby.

Guerra BB- Side somi, wobble on a sheep jump, just a layout dismount. I missed a lot of this one.

Straker VT- FTY with a hop back, some iffy form as she gets close to the landing.

Katjavari FX- Double pike, lunge back. 2.5 with a big step forward. Third pass had a front lay out of it. Double tuck, chest down and she can’t really save it or cover it up, has to stumble forward but doesn’t put her hands down.

B. Doddoli BB- Off on punch front mount. Nice wolf jump to split jump. Punch front landed HARD on her butt on the beam, another fall. 😦 Double full off center, and she comes off the mat as well.